


Mastery

by Sparkly_Eevee



Category: Burn Notice
Genre: Domestic Violence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-30
Updated: 2013-01-30
Packaged: 2017-11-27 13:06:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/662327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparkly_Eevee/pseuds/Sparkly_Eevee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael has difficulty coping in the wake of Nate's death, with dangerous results for his relationship with Fiona.  Set shortly after Shock Wave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mastery

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like this needed to exist, but writing it is hard, and going slow, so expect short chapters and infrequent updates.

Michael was practicing breaking into the newest version of the AMESC BWB3025 security safe, while Fiona sat on the bed, painting her toenails, when Fiona’s phone rang.    
    “Hello?  Oh, Sean, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you...what’s going on?”  She stepped out onto the balcony.  When she came back inside, she looked shaken.  
    “Fi,” Michael said, “what’s wrong?  What happened?”  
    “That was Sean...my mother’s ill.  It’s,” her voice broke, “it’s bad, Michael.”  
    “Oh, Fi.” He pulled her close, holding her tightly.  
    “I have to go back,” she said, the words somewhat muffled by Michael’s shirt.  
    “What?”  
    “I have to go see her.”  She looked up at him.  
    “You’re gonna go to Ireland?”  Michael tried to keep his tone incredulous, to cover everything else it might be.    
    “I need to get started on making this happen as soon as possible.  It’s going to be tricky to do it in less than a couple of months, and,” her voice caught a little, “I don’t know if I have that kind of time.”  
    “Sean said you could never go back,” Michael said quietly.  
    “I know.”  
    Michael’s hands clenched into fists, “Then how can you be planning to do this?”  
    “I’m a big girl, Michael.  I can take care of myself.  I have to do this.”  
    “You _can’t_ do this.”  
    Fiona moved back a little.  “It’s not your decision.”  
    He took part of what might have been intended as a deep breath.  “It’s too dangerous, Fi.  I won’t risk losing you again.”  
    “What are you going to do,” despite his best efforts she seemed to have caught on to the aggression in his body language, and tone, and she matched it, “chain me up in the apartment again?”  
    “Fi, I...” Guilt and anger competed for control of his expression.

Fiona mostly looked defiant. “I’m going, and that’s final.”   

“What the hell is _wrong_ with you?!”  
    She was already nervous, and his outburst frightened her in a way she wasn’t used to.  She took a step away from him, and then another, until she had her back to the wall.    
    “M-michael...”  
    “Shut up! Just shut up!”  
    It wasn’t the first time she’d had his hand around her throat, holding her against the wall with enough pressure that she couldn’t speak, could barely breathe.  It probably wasn’t even the hundredth time.  But it was the first time she’d felt more than a second of genuine fear when he did it.  It was the first time he’d compressed the wrong veins, so that she felt that burning, overpressurized pain as the tiny blood vessels around her eyes started breaking.  She didn’t struggle, just focused on taking in as much air as she could, and stared at him, waiting.  
    Something in her eyes, or in his own mind, must have snapped him out of it, because it didn’t take him very long to let go.  When he did, she started immediately for the door.  
    “Fi, wait!”  He grabbed her arm painfully hard.  
    “Let go of me, Michael.” She adopted the firm-but-patient tone one uses with disobedient children and the insane, although her voice was raspy from being choked.  
    “Let’s just talk about this.” Desperation had replaced anger in his voice, but he didn’t loosen his grip.  
    “Michael, you’re hurting me.” She waited another second, then twisted out of his grasp and ran.    
    Minutes, what felt like hours after he could no longer hear her car, Michael kept staring at the open doorway, wondering what the hell had just happened. 


End file.
